An Early Christmas Gift
My plans for Paris this week have been well and truly scuppered. A December trip, planned with military precision to squeeze in time with clients and friends was upended at the last minute. My Eurostar was cancelled…
Aux Merveilleux!
Discovering Aux Merveileux on Old Brompton Road is like finding a portal into another world. Yes, it’s London. Yes, it’s rush hour, but stepping into Aux Merveilleux is like walking into a sweet, buttery, steamy, caffeinated corner…
Paris Street Art
Montmartre is full of artists, but you’re probably not looking on the side of buildings for them. They may not have the pull of the Louvre or the romanticism of Place du Tertre, but there are magnificent…
The Wallace Fountains of Paris
Iconic emerald green, cast iron Wallace fountains are peppered around Parisian streets and parks. Designed and financed by an Englishman, a Francophile at that, these Neo Renaissance style fountains wear the name of Sir Richard Wallace. Way…
Early Morning Market on Rue Ordener
Stalls are setting up to a symphony of clanking, banging, rustling and the turning of trolley wheels. The twice weekly fermentation of noise and frenzied motion signals one thing, market day on Rue Ordener. Setting up for…
La Belle Epoque & Anarchy
Two doors down from my apartment is the site of the world’s first recorded grand theft auto bank robbery at the Société Générale (and I wonder why people are afraid to go north of the Sacre Coeur). 1911…
The E-Scooter Has Arrived
Paris has recently been invaded. By e-scooters, or “trottinettes” as they are referred to by Parisians and not everyone is happy about it. Le e-scooter Start Up est arrivé Pioneered in San Francisco, micro mobility is the…
Le Shopping
It’s impossible to live in Paris without doing le shopping at some point. My neighbourhood in Montmartre has a supermarket on every corner, so it seems only right that I should acquaint myself with a few. I…
153 Rue Ordener, Montmartre
It’s almost the end of my first week on Rue Ordener. So far we’ve had a day with no running water, a wedding and a visit from two fire engines. I’d call that a roaring success for…
Paris, at last
The week before leaving for Paris I worked in London, Oxford and Birmingham. Sunday night I was back in London ready for le early 07.55 Eurostar and Paris, at last. A wave of panic I think that…
